Tamil Nadu

People on warpath over abolition of Pudukottai seat

PUDUKOTTAI: The decision of the Delimitation Commission of India to do away with the Pudukottai parliamentary constituency, the only Lok Sabha seat in Pudukottai district, in the recent delimitation exercise has sent shock waves among political parties and residents of the district.

Parties and public forums have chalked out agitation plans demanding restoration of the parliamentary constituency with an added Assembly constituency. The constituency is represented by Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests S. Regupathi.

The Pudukottai parliamentary constituency came into being in the first general elections in 1952 after the country became independent. The district encompassed five Assembly segments — Pudukottai, Aranthangi, Alangudi, Kulathur (reserved) and Tirumayam.

While the Tirumayam seat was part of the Sivagangai Parliamentary constituency, the remaining four came under the Pudukottai Parliamentary constituency along with Pattukottai and Peravaruani seats in neighbouring Thanjavur district in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

The Commission, in its draft notification, had proposed restoration of the Gandharvakottai (reserved) Assembly segment, abolished a few decades ago, besides changing the nomenclature of Kolathur (reserved) seat to Viralimalai (general). At the public hearing, representatives of political parties and public forums were overwhelmingly in favour of modifying the composition of the Pudukottai parliamentary constituency with all the six assembly segments from the district itself.

As per the new proposal, the Assembly segments in Pudukottai district have been apportioned to four neighbouring parliamentary constituencies in as many districts. Tirumayam and Alangudi have been allotted to the Sivaganga parliamentary constituency, Pudukottai and Gandharvakottai to the Tiruchi parliamentary constituency, Aranthangi to the Ramanathapuram parliamentary constituency and Viralimalai to the Karur parliamentary constituency.

On the day of announcement, leaders of the DMK and fraternal parties staged a demonstration and decided to observe bandh on August 18.

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